1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a vehicle and a method for controlling the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vehicles in which an economy mode is set to give priority to fuel economy are proposed. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-11-180137 describes an example of such vehicles. In the vehicle described in the publication, an engine that outputs power for driving the vehicle serves as a heat source for air conditioning, and the frequency with which the engine is started is changed by turning an economy switch on and off. In the vehicle, when the economy switch is turned on, the temperature at which a compressor for air conditioning is started is set to a high temperature, and the compressor is intermittently turned off, which reduces the frequency with which the engine is started for air conditioning. This reduces the rate of fuel consumption.
In the vehicle, the frequency with which the compressor is turned off is increased, which may reduce the performance of air conditioning. Meanwhile, when a vehicle compartment is heated, it is preferable to change the flow amount of air delivered to the vehicle compartment, based on the temperature of the engine that serves as the heat source for air conditioning (i.e., the temperature of coolant), taking into account the temperature felt by the occupant.